It was the morning of our big social studies test, but I wasn’t worried. I always got “Cs” on my tests and assignments in social studies without even trying, so I figured this would be no different. My parents’ thought that was the best I could do, but I knew I was capable of getting “As” and “Bs”. I just didn't want to put in the time and effort to study.
Timothy is one of my good friends at school.
Timothy would always tell me, “Franklin you should at least try to pick up a book and study. I know you could get better grades.”
“No," I said. "I have better things to do.”
Timothy continued, “Don’t you care about your grades? You know, grades do count.”
I shot back, “I can get a ‘C’ on any of Mrs. Garcia’s tests and not even crack open a book. So I'll keep using my method, and you keep using yours.”
Timothy said, “Well you should care about getting grades higher than ‘C’,” as he walked away.
Mrs. Garcia told the class, “All right, class. Let's clear off our desktops so we can get ready to take our test on the Declaration of Independence.”
The test results came back about three days later. Timothy and a few of the other kids in my social studies class were anxiously waiting to get their tests back. I was not worried. I knew I had gotten another “C”, as usual.
Mrs. Garcia passed out the test, and Timothy was happy he got an “A”. I got mine back, and just like I thought—a big fat “C”. Not bad for absolutely no effort whatsoever!
After class, Mrs. Garcia pulled me to the side and told me, “Franklin, if you applied yourself more in class, you could easily get an 'A' or a 'B."
I just looked at Mrs. Garcia, wondering how she knew I didn't "apply myself."
I told her, “I tried my best.”
She just shook her head. She obviously didn't believe me.
When I arrived at school the following Monday, there was a major announcement from the principal, Mr. Fields.
"Any student who has attained all 'A' and 'Bs' for the past two quarters will receive an all-expenses-paid ticket to the new amusement park, Thrill World. This is a VIP pre-opening just for children from the area schools who have achieved the honor roll. Because it is so select, the lines to the rides won't be long at all. Congratulations to our honor roll and super honor roll students!”
Some of the kids in my class cheered and gave each other “high fives”. Timothy was definitely going because he gets all “As” and a few “Bs”.
For the first time in my life, I was jealous of kids who made good grades. I had always wanted to go to Thrill World. I bet I have seen the commercials over a hundred times.
I thought to myself, “I guess grades do count for something.” I felt that if I had “applied myself” I would be going to Thrill World as well. All because I did not want to study, it cost me a great trip that everyone would be talking about all year long. They would be talking about the rides I would have to wait to ride. They would know all of the shows and the special park features before I did. What a drag!
When my parents saw me moping around the house, they tried to encourage me, saying that they understood school was hard for me.
I burst out, "It's not that hard! I get Cs without even trying! I just don't try! Stop treating me like I'm stupid."
My mom looked thoughtful and then she said, "Mrs. Garcia told me Franklin needed to apply himself more. I thought she just didn't understand his limitations. I just thought you found the work too hard. I didn't mean to treat you like you were stupid—"
"Well," said my dad. "It is pretty stupid to get lower grades than you're capable of just out of laziness!"
My parents talked to me a lot about grades then. Not only did I miss out on rewards like Thrill World by not trying. They told me I would miss out on scholarships and opportunities to go to better schools and have a better life if I kept just getting middle grades because I didn't want to work. More than that, though, they told me I would be missing out on a kind of inner pride and satisfaction—the pride and satisfaction of a job well done.
The school never offered another free Thrill World trip to honor roll students. I know, because I was on the honor roll from then on, and I never got one. But it did feel good to know I was doing my best and learning all the things I needed to know to have a better life later on.
"Education is the key to success in life," my parents said.
Since I see life as a thrilling adventure anyway, I guess I'm on my way to a different kind of Thrill World—through education!
Questions for reflection
Do your grades matter to you? Why or why not?
On a scale of 1-10 how much do your grades count with you, with 10 being the highest?
Do you feel you give each test and/or assignment your very best effort? Or do you think you could do better?
Why do you think grades are important?
When do you think grades count? Getting into a good college? Getting a good job?
Do your parents ever reward you with money or other things when you get good grades?
Do you realize that gaining knowledge is rewarding in itself?
We have a wonderful world around us. Learning about it is exciting. Do you think you will enjoy life in this world more if you understand it?
Exercise
This week, time yourself doing your homework. Take just fifteen extra minutes every night to read over any notes, chapters, or assignments from class. By the end of the week you would have invested an extra hour and fifteen minutes of reviewing. Watch and see if your grades go up!
Story
Table of Contents
Timothy is one of my good friends at school.
Timothy would always tell me, “Franklin you should at least try to pick up a book and study. I know you could get better grades.”
“No," I said. "I have better things to do.”
Timothy continued, “Don’t you care about your grades? You know, grades do count.”
I shot back, “I can get a ‘C’ on any of Mrs. Garcia’s tests and not even crack open a book. So I'll keep using my method, and you keep using yours.”
Timothy said, “Well you should care about getting grades higher than ‘C’,” as he walked away.
Mrs. Garcia told the class, “All right, class. Let's clear off our desktops so we can get ready to take our test on the Declaration of Independence.”
The test results came back about three days later. Timothy and a few of the other kids in my social studies class were anxiously waiting to get their tests back. I was not worried. I knew I had gotten another “C”, as usual.
Mrs. Garcia passed out the test, and Timothy was happy he got an “A”. I got mine back, and just like I thought—a big fat “C”. Not bad for absolutely no effort whatsoever!
After class, Mrs. Garcia pulled me to the side and told me, “Franklin, if you applied yourself more in class, you could easily get an 'A' or a 'B."
I just looked at Mrs. Garcia, wondering how she knew I didn't "apply myself."
I told her, “I tried my best.”
She just shook her head. She obviously didn't believe me.
When I arrived at school the following Monday, there was a major announcement from the principal, Mr. Fields.
"Any student who has attained all 'A' and 'Bs' for the past two quarters will receive an all-expenses-paid ticket to the new amusement park, Thrill World. This is a VIP pre-opening just for children from the area schools who have achieved the honor roll. Because it is so select, the lines to the rides won't be long at all. Congratulations to our honor roll and super honor roll students!”
Some of the kids in my class cheered and gave each other “high fives”. Timothy was definitely going because he gets all “As” and a few “Bs”.
For the first time in my life, I was jealous of kids who made good grades. I had always wanted to go to Thrill World. I bet I have seen the commercials over a hundred times.
I thought to myself, “I guess grades do count for something.” I felt that if I had “applied myself” I would be going to Thrill World as well. All because I did not want to study, it cost me a great trip that everyone would be talking about all year long. They would be talking about the rides I would have to wait to ride. They would know all of the shows and the special park features before I did. What a drag!
When my parents saw me moping around the house, they tried to encourage me, saying that they understood school was hard for me.
I burst out, "It's not that hard! I get Cs without even trying! I just don't try! Stop treating me like I'm stupid."
My mom looked thoughtful and then she said, "Mrs. Garcia told me Franklin needed to apply himself more. I thought she just didn't understand his limitations.
I just thought you found the work too hard. I didn't mean to treat you like you were stupid—"
"Well," said my dad. "It is pretty stupid to get lower grades than you're capable of just out of laziness!"
My parents talked to me a lot about grades then. Not only did I miss out on rewards like Thrill World by not trying. They told me I would miss out on scholarships and opportunities to go to better schools and have a better life if I kept just getting middle grades because I didn't want to work. More than that, though, they told me I would be missing out on a kind of inner pride and satisfaction—the pride and satisfaction of a job well done.
The school never offered another free Thrill World trip to honor roll students. I know, because I was on the honor roll from then on, and I never got one. But it did feel good to know I was doing my best and learning all the things I needed to know to have a better life later on.
"Education is the key to success in life," my parents said.
Since I see life as a thrilling adventure anyway, I guess I'm on my way to a different kind of Thrill World—through education!
Questions for reflection
Exercise
This week, time yourself doing your homework. Take just fifteen extra minutes every night to read over any notes, chapters, or assignments from class. By the end of the week you would have invested an extra hour and fifteen minutes of reviewing. Watch and see if your grades go up!